As we prepare to bid adieu to 2025 and look ahead to 2026, it is time for that honored tradition of “top _” lists and memories from the year that was. Technically, in the Chinese zodiac, the Year of the (Wood) Snake runs from January 29, 2025 through February 16, 2026, so we have some time left. I wrote all about it back in January, how the snake represents new beginnings and shedding bad energy, and how it could relate to the Union… who conveniently have a snake as their mascot, of course.

According to Yukari Yamano of the Seattle Japanese Garden, “The Year of the Snake is considered a time when hard work comes to fruition and new beginnings emerge. Just as snakes shed their skin and grow, the Snake year is imbued with the symbolism of ‘rebirth and renewal.’ It is seen as a turning point, encouraging people to embrace change and embark on new challenges with positivity.”

The Union, as an organization, went through a lot of changes and did indeed see a rebirth. With Bradley Carnell at the helm for the first team, the squad exceeded many people’s expectations and went on to win the Supporters’ Shield after not making the playoffs in 2024. He instilled belief and buy-in from his players, and the wins kept coming, and he was deservedly named MLS Coach of the Year for his efforts. Stepping into the role held by Jim Curtin for a decade was no small task, but Carnell was clearly the right one for the job.

The roster saw a lot of changes, with stars and fan-favorites Jack McGlynn and Daniel Gazdag departing early on, which at the time had some fans reeling. New signings like Jovan Lukic, Bruno Damiani, and Indiana Vassilev made big impacts, and young talents on the rise like Quinn Sullivan, Andrew Rick, Olwethu Makhanya, and Frankie Westfield proved to be key cogs in the Union machine. Summer acquisition Milan Iloski became an important piece down the stretch and fit in seamlessly.

On the Union II side of things, former first team assistant Ryan Richter became the new head coach of a squad that largely had a lot of its 2024 Eastern Conference Champions roster still there at the beginning, but also was extremely fluid as the season went on. Between players being called up to the first team, being loaned out, or being unavailable at times, in addition to guiding young talents making their way up, Richter navigated the challenges of the season remarkably. He brought his knack for developing players while instilling team chemistry and culture, and was part of the great continuity the club had from first team down to the academy level.

Though they fell in the Eastern Conference Final, the squad was impressive, and saw the rise of strikers like Malik Jakupovic and Stas Korzeniowski and growth of Jordan Griffin, CJ Olney, Óscar Benítez, and Giovanny Sequera. A stalwart center back tandem of MLS Next Pro Defender of the Year Neil Pierre and new signing Rafael Uzcátegui helped the squad have the best goal differential in the league while having a rotating cast of goalkeepers (who, to their credit and the credit of the coaching staff, all fit in seamlessly).

So was it a year of rebirth, regrowth, and new beginnings? In my opinion, the Union lived up to the facets of the Year of the Snake, and as the year winds down, they have continued to make changes (Tai Baribo and Jakob Glesnes, amongst others) and will likely have more coming down the pike as, believe it or not, preseason is rapidly approaching in just a few weeks. I am not breaking any news here, but one can reasonably expect more moves to come for the Union in the near future, as well as roster decisions and signings for Union II. (And as I was writing this, news broke that the Union acquired defender Finn Sundstrom)

And now, to sum up the year as its time is fleeting, I offer up some highs and lows of the season—purely my opinion—and share some fun stats. I wrote a whole retrospective from my point of view on the season, including the traveling, if you want more. Because I like to end on a more positive note, I will start with the lows.

2025 Lows

5. Losses against Nashville. Tight, hard-fought games, but the Union could not crack the code this year. The first one was not helped by some questionable referee calls, the second involved a late PK, and getting knocked out in the Open Cup Semifinal capped it off.

4. Union II’s struggles against Red Bulls II. Yes, they lost 2-1 in the Eastern Conference Final after having a 1-0 lead for a while, but the lower point, in my opinion, was during a rough stretch in August when they lost 2-0 on the road in a lackluster performance that included a rare blunder by Andrew Rick. To their credit, they got back on track not long after as they went on a run into the playoffs.

3. Quinn Sullivan’s injury. I could say knee injuries in general, as there were several for players. While the huge 6-0 win over DC United was fun, seeing the homegrown go down with the knee injury was heartbreaking after the amazing season he had. Here’s hoping he has a speedy recovery.

2. Playoff loss to NYCFC. Disappointing end to the season, of course, but also may have saved a thumping by Miami. I think many will agree that we still would liked the chance to find out.

1. 7-0 loss in Vancouver. Enough said.

2025 Highs

5. Golazos and game-winners from the young guys. I am lumping a few together here. Seeing guys like Frankie Westfield, Olwethu Makhanya, and Markus Anderson get their first MLS goals was special. Westfield’s was an absolute rocket and Makhanya and Anderson had late game-winners, with the former being in the Open Cup, and the latter a very late goal with a fantastic finish. Quinn Sullivan’s goal against Inter Miami is another that stands out. With 18 different goal scorers during the season, they were just part of an exciting list of goals from the Union.

4. Beating Cincinnati. The 4-1 home opener win was great, continuing the momentum from the 4-2 season opening win in Orlando, with a Tai Baribo hat trick and goal for Bruno Damiani in his debut. But the 1-0 win at Cincinnati was even better, in my opinion. They weathered playing down a man since the 60th minute after Olwethu Makhanya got a second yellow, holding onto their lead and securing a playoff berth.

3. Shootout Wins. I am also lumping these together. Andrew Rick standing tall multiple times in shootouts (like a marathon with Union II against Chattanooga) but most notably, against Indy Eleven in the Open Cup. The biggest, arguably, was Andre Blake coming through against Chicago in the first round of the playoffs, and Jesús Bueno delivering the decisive kick.

2. Union II making it to the Eastern Conference Final. Sure, they came up short, but with all they navigated during the season, and essentially having almost a new squad halfway through the season, they were fantastic.

1. Winning the Supporters’ Shield. Was there any doubt? No asterisk, no excuses from COVID… a legit, hard-fought trophy that in Europe would be THE trophy. The Union have some hardware to show for their efforts on a remarkable season.

Some stats to end with…

I would like to say, on behalf of Kyle and me, a heartfelt thank you to all who read and follow our work at The One Team We Agree On. Here are our most read articles from 2025:

1. Andrew Rick: Rising Star of Philadelphia Union Goalkeeping
2. Roster Decisions for Union II Revealed
3. Northeast Philly’s Own Frankie Westfield Signs Homegrown Deal with Philadelphia Union
4. Philadelphia Union Signs Record-Breaking Striker Milan Iloski
5. Philadelphia Union Academy Standout Malik Jakupovic Goes Pro
6. From Midshipman to MLS Next Pro: An Interview with Union II’s Pierce Holbrook
7. Shootout Victory for Union II in Home Opener
8. Inside Jack McGlynn’s Transition to Houston Dynamo
9. Kellan LeBlanc Signs with Union II
10. Philadelphia Union Academy Wins MLS Next Cup U15 Final

We had views from 72 countries, with the top 10 being:

1. United States
2. Ireland
3. Sweden
4. Germany
5. United Kingdom
6. Canada
7. Australia
8. Poland
9. Israel
10. Qatar

Top 10 states/regions:

1. Pennsylvania
2. New Jersey
3. New York
4. California
5. Virginia
6. Delaware
7. Texas
8. Maryland
9. Oregon
10. District of Columbia

Top 10 cities:

1. Philadelphia, PA
2. Reading, PA
3. New York City, NY
4. Ashburn, VA
5. Newark, NJ
6. Mount Laurel, NJ
7. Lancaster, PA
8. Washington, DC
9. Dallas, TX
10. Quarryville, PA

Again, thank you to all who support our work and have reached out to us, whether in person or online. We look forward to providing quality coverage of the Union, Union II, and the Union Academy in 2026. A safe, healthy, and happy New Year to you all!